Should I Get Fitted for Golf Clubs Before Lessons? Get Both Together

If you follow golf content online, you’ve undoubtedly encountered the constant recommendation to get custom fitted for your clubs.

But what if you’re a beginner or struggling with your swing? Many golfers at these stages wonder if they should invest in lessons first to develop a proper swing before getting fitted.

The sequence of fitting versus lessons isn’t what matters most — both benefit players of all skill levels, and your Golfing Focus should be on finding the right professionals for your needs.

After my journey through eight different fitting experiences, I’ve learned firsthand how these services complement each other and how quality fittings involve elements of lessons and vice versa.

Improvements to your golf game can come from many sources—swing changes, better equipment, improved course management, or a stronger mental approach.

And as all regular golfers know only too well, there is no single magic solution that guarantees success. If such a solution existed, its inventor would be extraordinarily wealthy, but the game would also lose much of what makes it so engaging!

In the following sections, I’ll share insights from my extensive fitting journey across eight different fitting sessions.

We’ll also explore why properly fitted clubs matter for all players – especially high handicappers and beginners – how fittings and lessons complement each other, and how to determine the best approach for your specific goals.

Through my own experience gaining 40+ yards with my driver and breathing new life into 20-year-old irons, I’ve discovered the real value lies in finding the right guidance, regardless of which comes first.

Golfing Focus Takeaways For Time Pressed Beginner Golfers

• Both services naturally overlap: Club fittings include elements of instruction while lessons often identify equipment needs—they complement rather than compete with each other.
• Consider your personal goals: Choose your approach based on available practice time and improvement timeline—lessons for fundamental changes, fitting for optimizing current abilities.
• Professionals should collaborate: Ensure your instructor knows about your fitting plans and your fitter knows about your lessons—communication maximizes benefits from both.
• The order doesn’t really matter: Getting fitted before lessons or taking lessons before fitting produces equally valid improvement paths—what matters most is taking action.
• Finding the right professionals matters more: The quality and compatibility of your instructor or fitter will have greater impact than which service comes first.

How ALL Golfers Adapt to Their Equipment (and Why Fitting Matters)

Let’s start with a clear statement of fact: Every golfer, regardless of skill level, can benefit from a golf club fitting.

No ifs, no buts.

This makes intuitive sense when you think about it.

Having golf clubs that match your height, hand size, swing characteristics, and physical capabilities will inevitably serve you better than ones randomly selected off the rack.

What many golfers don’t realize is how profoundly their bodies and swings adapt to whatever equipment they’re using.

Your mind and body are remarkably intelligent systems that will automatically try to compensate for ill-fitted equipment—often without you even realizing it’s happening.

“The fact is that most golfers tend to adapt their swing to their equipment….Golfers need to understand equipment has a lot to do with the way they swing.”

Nick Sherburne, co-founder of Club Champion, Golf Digest Best 100 Clubfitter

World-class players also demonstrate this very readily.

In a YouTube video I recently watched, 3-time Major champion Jordan Spieth tried playing with wooden clubs from the 19th century.

After just one swing, he immediately began discussing how he would need to change his follow-through on the next shot because of the club’s characteristics.

“Some golfers believe they have to get to a certain level to get fit, but that’s a wrong perception. Using the wrong clubs for you can negatively influence your swing and lead you to form bad habits.”

Todd Sones, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher

You might think, “That’s Jordan Spieth—a professional. I wouldn’t make those adjustments.” But you absolutely would.

Imagine you’re 5’6″ tall and someone hands you longer clubs designed for someone 6’5″.

Would you stand the same distance from the ball? Would your posture remain identical? Of course not.

You’d instinctively make adjustments, and with each shot, your body would learn and refine these compensations.

These adaptations partly explain why legendary golfer John Daly developed his uniquely long backswing—he started playing with his father’s clubs, which were much too heavy for him as a child.

His extra-long swing was originally a compensation to generate enough clubhead speed with too-heavy equipment.

This adaptation phenomenon is precisely why it’s crucial for everyone, especially beginners, to start with equipment that suits them as early as possible in their golfing journey.

For newer golfers, particularly children, using unsuitable clubs can make critical first experiences frustrating and joyless.

When that happens, they may decide golf isn’t for them before ever experiencing the satisfaction of a well-struck shot.

It’s also important to clarify a common misconception about club fitting.

Many beginners and high handicappers hear “fitting” and immediately think they’ll be pressured to purchase an expensive set of custom clubs with fancy shafts costing thousands of dollars.

This isn’t true.

A fitting with a reputable club fitter might lead to various recommendations:

• Using lighter clubs instead of heavier ones
• Confirming that your current clubs are actually suitable
• Suggesting a few specific second-hand clubs from certain manufacturers
• Recommending a minimal starter set (a wood, a few irons, and a putter) rather than a complete set.

For beginners especially, you don’t need a full 14-club set to start enjoying the game.

As former British Open Champion Francesco Molinari notes: “A lot of people don’t really get clubs fitted to themselves. So it can be a driver shaft that’s too stiff, or maybe sometimes too soft… You see Tour guys, most of them have hybrids in the bag nowadays, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense [for amateurs to avoid them].”

The key takeaway here is simple: your equipment profoundly influences your swing development, often in ways you don’t consciously realize.

Using clubs therefore that at least basically suits your physical characteristics and capabilities removes unnecessary obstacles from your improvement path — regardless of whether you’re simultaneously taking lessons.

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What to Expect: The Overlap Between Lessons and Fittings

Many golfers perceive club fittings and lessons as entirely separate experiences, but this view misses their significant natural overlap.

Understanding this convergence helps explain why debates about which should come first often miss an important point.

A quality club fitting inevitably includes assessment of your swing characteristics — much like a lesson would.

The fitter will observe your motion, analyze your tendencies, and make recommendations based partially on technique factors.

Conversely, any good instructor will immediately notice if your current clubs are working against your progress, often making equipment suggestions during lessons.

My own fitting experiences perfectly illustrate this overlap.

During my initial driver fitting session, the fitter immediately identified that my negative attack angle (-2.4°) was costing me significant distance.

Rather than immediately jumping to equipment solutions, he suggested I work on a technique adjustment to hit up on the ball more.

This was essentially a mini-lesson within the fitting.

When I returned after implementing this change, we fitted me with an 8° driver (down from my previous 10.5°) that complemented my improved attack angle.

The result was remarkable—I gained over 40 yards without increasing my swing speed.

So this improvement came from BOTH the equipment change and the technique adjustment working together.

This scenario plays out differently for each golfer.

For some, taking lessons first will result in the pro saying, “Your clubs are working against you—let’s get you fitted before proceeding.”

For others, a fitter might say, “Your clubs are fine—the issue you’re experiencing is technique-based. Let’s connect you with an instructor.”

PGA pros and club fitters, despite what some may believe about the golf industry’s costs, primarily want to help you improve.

They’re not simply looking to take your money at every opportunity.

That duck hook plaguing your game might stem from ill-fitted equipment or a swing fault—and the right professionals will help you determine which is the case, because the answer varies for every golfer.

Perhaps the clearest example of this overlap comes from putter fittings.

Because a putting stroke is such a simple motion compared to a full swing, you might expect minimal learning.

Yet the opposite is true—the precise focus on such a fundamental motion often delivers profound insights about both your technique and your equipment needs.

Even manufacturer-sponsored club fitters acknowledge this reality. Matt Blois of Golf Liberty notes: “Not every fitting is cut and dried not always come in and here are the irons for you, here’s the shafts for you see you later. Sometimes there’s stuff to recommending a swing improvement.”

If a player is committed to changing their swing through a series of lessons, a good fitter will approach things differently than they would for someone who just wants to be fitted to their current motion.

The key is communication—tell your fitter if you’re taking lessons, and tell your instructor if you’re getting fitted.

Good teachers won’t continue instructing you with clubs they know are hindering your progress.

Similarly, quality fitters won’t sell you equipment you don’t need when the real issue is technique-based.

Although fitters aim to minimize the damage caused by your worst shots, they’re primarily fitting your clubs to your best swing, not trying to correct fundamental swing flaws.

The artificial separation between “technique” and “equipment” breaks down in practice, as each influences the other.

Understanding this natural overlap therefore helps dissolve unnecessary worry about which service should come first and focuses attention where it belongs—on finding quality professionals who communicate well with each other and with you.

Club Fittings Can Manage Faults. Golf Lessons Can Fix Them

Simon Cooper, Master Club Fitter at Precision Golf and fitter to Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, offers this perspective on the lessons versus fitting question:

“The assumption will be that (club fitting) is for the elite golfer, the low handicapper, the scratch golfer, and actually the reality of the answer is… for the best players you’re making little small fine tunes. For the mid handicapper there’s actually far more you can do… and it’s far more applicable to the higher handicapper because there’s more variability in their action and more inconsistency.”

But regarding the timing with lessons, he advises: “If you’re going through lessons and making a major swing change, then that isn’t the right time to come for a fitting. Once that’s bedded in and settled down… that’s then the right time to come in for a fitting.”

This expert insight highlights a crucial distinction: while both services complement each other, they serve fundamentally different purposes.

And understanding these differences helps set realistic expectations for what each can accomplish.

Club fitting is essentially about optimization—making the most of your current swing characteristics.

Lessons, by contrast, are about transformation—changing those characteristics to produce better results.

This creates an important distinction in outcomes: Club fittings can manage your swing faults, while lessons can potentially fix them.

GolfTec, one of Golf Digest’s Top 100 Club fitters, regularly shares statistics about the average improvements golfers they see following a proper fitting:

• 20 yards gained with the driver
• 10+ yards added with irons
• Better directional control

While they are clearly from marketing copy these are meaningful improvements that can immediately impact your enjoyment and scoring.

However, notice the scale of these changes. A fitting isn’t likely to transform a 20-handicapper into a single-digit player overnight.

By contrast, targeted lessons that address fundamental swing flaws, followed by dedicated practice, can potentially produce much more dramatic improvements over time.

If you’re physically capable but technically limited, lessons might help you gain 30-40+ yards with your driver — something no fitting alone could accomplish.

This is a tough message for some golfers to accept.

Club manufacturers’ marketing can sometimes create the impression that the latest equipment will solve all your problems.

And this leads some golfers to repeatedly chase new gear rather than address technique issues.

As legend of the game Arnold Palmer wisely advised, “Swing your swing.”

Or as PGA Tour winner Chris DiMarco more bluntly puts it: “You keep doing the same bad things that make you bad and you’re never going to get better, so it doesn’t matter what clubs you hit.”

How should this influence your approach to improvement? It depends on your goals and available time:

If you’re taking a longer-term view and want to make substantial improvements over time, prioritize lessons.

A good instructor might actually suggest holding off on new equipment until your swing changes stabilize.

If you have limited practice time like me due to a busy family life, or are satisfied with your current swing pattern but want better results, a fitting can help optimize your equipment to manage your tendencies rather than trying to eliminate them.

The key insight is understanding what each service realistically offers.

Fittings provide optimization within your current capabilities—they’re about making the most of what you have.

Lessons offer the potential for transformation—fundamentally changing those capabilities through technical improvement and practice.

Both have their place in a well-rounded improvement strategy.

The question isn’t which is better, but rather which approach aligns with your personal goals, available practice time, and improvement timeline.

Finding the Right ‘Professional’: The Most Critical Decision

Ask three different golfers a question and you’ll likely get four different answers.

Everyone in golf has an opinion about what others should do to improve their game.

For every person who insists you must get fitted before anything else (including many club fitters), there’s someone equally adamant that you should fix your swing through lessons before investing in equipment (including many teaching pros!).

This conflicting advice highlights why choosing who you listen to is vastly more important than the order in which you pursue improvement.

If you start gathering opinions on the “lessons versus fitting” debate, you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed and confused.

Instead, focus your energy on finding the right professionals to guide your improvement journey.

This decision will have far more impact on your results than whether fitting precedes lessons or vice versa.

And remember, these services can often be provided by the same person—many PGA professionals are qualified in both instruction and fitting.

So how do you identify the right professional?

To help you find quality fitting options near you, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide and searchable directory of the best places to get fitted for golf clubs across the US, Canada, and the UK.

Similarly, we’ve created an in-depth article about finding the best golf lessons teacher for you and how much you should expect to pay.

And as you look at these here are some key considerations:

Communication Style

Just as you likely preferred certain teachers in school, golf instruction and fitting involve personal preferences.

Some golfers respond well to technical, detailed explanations. Others prefer simple, feel-based guidance. During initial interactions, assess whether the professional’s communication style resonates with you.

Client-Centered Approach

Quality professionals begin by asking questions about your goals, current game, and expectations.

They should show genuine interest in your specific needs rather than offering one-size-fits-all recommendations. If they’re pushing particular products or techniques before understanding your situation, consider it a warning sign.

Transparent Process

Good fitters and instructors clearly explain their process, recommendations, and the reasoning behind them.

They don’t rely on jargon or mystique to make their services seem more valuable. Instead, they educate you throughout the experience, ensuring you understand what’s happening and why.

Realistic Promises

Be wary of professionals who promise dramatic, immediate improvements with minimal effort on your part.

Quality instructors and fitters are honest about what’s realistically achievable and the work required to get there. They set appropriate expectations rather than making exaggerated claims.

Reputation and Experience

While not foolproof, checking reviews and asking for recommendations from fellow golfers can help identify professionals with track records of success.

Experience with golfers at your skill level is particularly valuable, as teaching beginners versus elite players requires different approaches.

Ongoing Relationship

Consider whether the professional offers follow-up support. Will they be available to address questions after your session? Do they provide progress check-ins? The best professionals view your improvement as an ongoing journey, not a one-time transaction.

Remember that the most expensive option isn’t automatically the best.

Quality instruction that aligns with your learning style will prove more valuable than premium-priced sessions that don’t resonate with you. One well-matched lesson can deliver more improvement than five with an instructor whose approach doesn’t suit your needs.

This applies equally to club fitting. The professional’s ability to understand your goals and communicate effectively often matters more than having the absolute latest technology or most extensive testing options.

Ultimately, finding a trusted advisor whose guidance you value is the single most important factor in your improvement journey. The right professional will help you navigate the when, what, and how of both lessons and fittings in a way that’s tailored to your specific needs.

So in truth you can’t really lose whether you decide to get fitted for clubs before lessons or the other way round if you find good people to go to.

Before You Go …

For more detailed information about the costs of both golf club fitting and lessons, check out these articles:

How Much Should You Pay for Golf Lessons? A Complete Guide

How Much Does a Golf Club Fitting Cost? Is it Worth it?

Other top articles related to this topic:

• How Many Clubs Does a Beginner Need? Save Your Money to Start With!
• Know When To Replace Your Golf Clubs: A Club-By-Club Guide
• Can You Get Your Existing Golf Clubs Custom Fitted? Complexity = Cost
• Should High Handicappers Get Fitted Clubs? The Benefits Apply to All
• Is a Putter Fitting Worth it? It Removes a Variable or Three
• Should I Get Fitted for Golf Clubs Before Lessons? Get Both Together
• How Often Should You Get Fitted for Clubs? Use the 3 Tests
• How Long Should a Club Fitting Take? Take Your Time!
• Are Putting Lessons Worth It? We Surveyed Over 100 Golfers
• How Many Golf Lessons Do You Need? 3 is the Magic Number
• How to Get Better at Golf Without Lessons – 16 Top Tips